There is a new tight end in Cleveland after the Browns signed veteran free agent Jesse James. The 28-year-old James inked a one-year deal to join the Browns tight end party, one that has seen quite a bit of transactional action in the last few months.
James comes to Cleveland after spending the 2021 season on the Chicago Bears. The Browns are his fourth NFL stop, following stints in Pittsburgh and Detroit as well.
I had the fortune to cover James in his two seasons (2019-2020) with the Lions, as well as watching several of his Bears and Steelers games over the years. Notice I did not say “good” fortune…
What the Browns are getting in Jesse James
James was a fifth-round pick by the Steelers in the 2015 NFL draft out of Penn State. At 6-foot-7 and 261 pounds, he’s a big target with some natural power and base strength to his game.
He climbed the ladder quickly to become the top tight end for the Steelers, starting on their 2016 squad that advanced to the AFC Championship game. His role diminished in 2018 with Vance McDonald’s arrival in Pittsburgh, and James subsequently cashed in as a free agent with the Lions.
His time in Detroit was almost immediately a failure. From the very first practice, his decided lack of athleticism was readily evident. He had always looked a little sluggish in getting off the line in Pittsburgh, but seeing James in drills and reps with the likes of Logan Thomas and T.J. Hockenson — the relative lack of twitch and quickness was plainly obvious. Change of direction and burst out of a cut are effectively nonexistent.
James proceeded to have two underwhelming seasons as the No. 2 TE in Detroit. He caught 30 passes in those two seasons, the same amount he did in his final year in Pittsburgh. His one shining moment came in the third game of 2020 when he dusted then-rookie Cardinals LB Isaiah Simmons for a red zone TD reception.
Both the Lions and Bears primarily deployed James as an inline TE, and in a blocking capacity he does offer something to the Browns. In pass protection, James has proven to be aware and capable of steering an edge rusher around the outside. He tends to play too tall in the run game and does not have the agility or quickness to make reach blocks.
James is a departure from the Browns typical tight end. He’s physically incapable of doing the receiving duties that David Njoku and Harrison Bryant can. He’s slower and more methodical in movement than Austin Hooper was in his Cleveland days. As a No. 3 tight end, he can play as a pass blocking specialist and in short-yardage packages where he can leak out after a chip block. Based on his last four seasons, that’s about all James offers the Browns.
